Toy vehicle



Aug. 6, 1940. H. J. FERRI TOY VEHICLE Filed 001;. 21, 1958 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR HENRY J FERRI ATTORNEY H. J. FERRI TOY VEHICLE Aug. 6, 1940.

2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed 001;. 21, 1958 mw wu Q llll {In}- IIIIII Q r kl w? m mm H 1 :yd F [rm W7. R M N. fi N w w J Q mm 3 R hh ATTO R N EY Patented Aug. 6, 1940 UNITED STATES PAr Nr OFFICE 'roY VEHICLE.- Henry J. Ferri, Port Richmond, Staten Island, N. Y., assignor to The Lionel Corporation, New

York, N. Y., acorporation of New York Application October 21', 1938, Serial N 236,243 1 10 Claims. (01}213-212) The present invention. relates to toy vehicles, and-is more particularly directed toward automatic coupling and uncoupling devices for use with such toy vehicles of the typeordinarily used on toy' electric railroad track and having automatically operable uncoupling devices so that the vehicles can be uncoupled, when desired, by remote control. 1

According to the present invention the locomotive and each of the trucks of the car of the train will be provided with a truck carried electromagnet arranged to operate an armature also carried by the truck (or locomotive) and associated with the coupler head in such a way that 1 5 when the electromagnetic devices of two adjacent couplers are energized simultaneously, both .couplers can be released sothat the vehicles can be .separated.

According to the present invention each truck 20 is provided with a bar extending generally longitudinally of the vehicle andflcentrally disposed with respect to the wheels. This bar is coupled to the truck so as toswing with the truck and it carries a coupler hook and coupler head for 25 cooperation with hooks and heads of other couplers and an armature which can be attracted by a truck carried electromagnet, whereby the coupler heads may be shifted to releasing position.

9 The accompanying drawings show, for purposes of illustrating the present invention two of the many embodiments in which theinvention may take form, it being understood that the drawings are illustrative of the invention 35 rather than limiting the same.

In these drawings: 7

Figure 1 is a longitudinal sectional view taken on the line of Figure 2 through the center of two toy vehicles with attached coupling and uncoupling devices, and shows the disposition of the vehicles on the track;

Figure 2. is a sectional view on the line 22 of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is an inverted plan view of one truck 5 with associated mechanism;

Figure 4 is a section taken on the line 4 -4 of Figure 1;

Figure 5 is a fragmentary section taken on the line 5-5 of Figure 3;

+0 .Figure 6 is a vertical longitudinal sectional 55 ,T eql p hq r in a e,,. n ed 9r use on ordinary three-rail toy electric railroad track which is provided with an inserted fiverail section at points where it is desired to uncouple the. cars. A portion of such a five-rail trackis illustrated in Figures 1, 2 and 4.

Thebase of insulating material is indicated at l0. It has two wheel-bearing rails H, II, a power, or third, rail I2, and control rails, indicated at |3 and I4, disposed between the power rail and'each of the wheel-bearingrails. The 10 insulatingbase Ill carries four straps l5, l6, l1 and |8.provided with binding post screws, as indicated. These straps extend under the base and are connected tothe respective rails II, l4, l3, and I2, as indicated at l5a, |6a, Ila and la, so thatwhen the switch I9 is closed both rails l3 and-|4 may be connected to .the power rail.

The truck frames are indicated at 20.. These are. formed of sheet metal, as shown, and are provided with .pivot studs 2|, whereby they are secured to .thecar bodies 22. The truck frames are provided with the usual journals .23 for the axles. 24 and wheels 25. The lower end of the stud 2| is reduced and passes through a grounding washer 26, the top of the truck stamping 2U, 25 and through, a coupler carrying bar 21, and its loweruend is upset as indicated. The truck stamping and the bar are interlocked by a hookshaped element, indicated at 28. One end of the coupler bar 21- .extends out through a slot 29 in the body 22 of the'car, and is provided than the armature so that the parts are inorfeet 40, ;An insulating plate 4| is secured to .these ieet by screws indicated .at 42; This insulat g ;P .at disp e b p -i e axles, as i be apparent from the drawings, and carries a collector shoe 43 formed out of a strip of sheet material to have the shape shown in the drawings. This sheet has two upwardly extending portions 44 and 45 which pass through openings in the insulating plate 40, and each of these is notched, as indicated in Figure 2, to receive the two arms 45 and 41 of a leaf spring 48 secured to the insulating base by a rivet indicated at 49. This spring normally rests on top of the plate and holds the collector shoe 43 down, but yields when the collector shoe bears on the correspond ing fixed rail. The collector shoe is connected to the coil 36 of the electromagnet by a wire 50 which is soldered to the rivet 49. The insulating plate 4! has an extension 5|, as shown at the left, and this extension carries a stud 52 on which is secured a bracket 53. This bracket has a soldering lug 53' for a wire for a lamp or the, like diagrammatically indicated at 53". It straddlesthe; extension 5| and carries a contact roller 5dr adapted. to be held against the third rail by coiled spring 55 carried by the stud 52.

When two cars are on straight or curved track, the cars may be automatically coupled by the couplers as shown herein. When it is desired to automatically uncouple the cars they are placed so :that the adjacent trucks stand on the section of five-rail track, the train stopped, or not, as

desired, and the switch l9 operated and both coils energized. While the switch is thus closed either car may be moved to separate the couplers.

In the form of construction shown in Figures 6 and '7, car. bodies are indicated at 60 and the pivot stud at 6|. The truck frame 62 carries the journals '63, axles 64 and wheels 65, as usual, and may be providedwith across-brace indicated at 6 5. The lower-'end of the stud BI is employed to secure a coupler carrying bar 61 in place. The outer end of this bar is provided with a pivot stud 68' to which is secured a coupler bar 69 having the coupling hook 70 and coupling head H of the same construction as above referred to. The rear end ofv the coupler bar 69 has a lost motion pin-and-slot connection with the car body, as indicated at 69'. The coupler head H oarriesnan armature 12 which extends near the pivot stud. 58 and is normally above the exposed core 13 on electromagnet 14. The other end of the core is secured to a downwardly bent lug 15 formed out of the bar 61.

The insulating plate is indicated at 16. It is disposed below the axles 64 and has upwardly extending tubular spacers 11 through which screws l8 pass by which the insulating member can be secured to the bar 61. The insulating member carries a collector shoe [9 and spring 80, the same as that shown in the preceding figures. It is connected to the core by a wire St. The insulating member I6 also carries a con,- tact roller 54 adapted to be held against the third rail by coiled spring 55 carried by the stud 52.

It is obvious that the invention may be embodied in many forms and constructions within the scope of the claims and I wish it to be understood that the particular forms shown are but a few of the many forms. Various modifications and changes being possible, I do not otherwise limit myself in any way with respect thereto.

What is claimed is:

1. A toy vehicle having a truck frame adapted to be pivoted to a vehicle body and provided with axles which carry wheels adapted to travel 'on the rails of toy railroad track, a coupler carryi'ng'bar secured to the truck to swing therewith, a coupler including a coupler hook and a gravity operated, movable coupler head adapted to engage a similar hook of another vehicle to couple the vehicles together, an armature carried by the coupler head, an electromagnet carried by the truck frame and having an operating coil and a core adjacent the armature to attract the armature and lift the coupler head to releasing position, and an insulated collector shoe connected to the coil to energize the same. 2. A toy vehicle having a truck frame adapted to be pivoted to a vehicle body and provided with axles which carry wheels adapted to travel on the rails of toy railroad track, a coupler carrying bar secured to-the truck to swing therewith, a'coupler including a coupler hook and a gravity operated, movable coupler head adapted to engage a similar hook of another vehicle to couple the vehicles together, an armature carried by the coupler head, an electromagnet fixedly secured to the bar and having an operating coil and a. core adjacent the armature to attract, the. armature and lift' the couper head to releasing, position, and an insulated collector shoe connected to thecoil .to energize the same.

3. A toy vehicle having a truck frame adapted to.be pivotedv to a vehicle body and provided with axles which carry Wheels adapted to travel on the rails ,of toy: railroad track, a coupler carryingcbar. secured. to the truck to swing therewith, a coupler including a coupler hook and a gravity operated, movable coupler head adapted to engage a similar hook of another vehicle to couple the vehicles together, an armature carried by the coupler head, an electromagnet fixedly securedto the bar and having an operating coil. and a coreadjacent the armature to attract the armature and lift the couplerhead to releasing'position, an insulating plate secured to the bar and disposed below the axles, and a collector shoe carried by the plate and connected to the coil to energize the same.

4. A toy vehicle having a trunk frame adapted to be pivoted to a vehicle body and provided with axles which carry wheels adapted to travel on the railsof 'toy railroad track, a coupler carrying bar secured to the truck toswing therewith, a coupler including a coupler hook'and a gravity operated, movable coupler head adapted to engage asimilar. hook of another vehicle to couple the vehicles together, an armature carried by thecoupler: head, an electromagnet fixedly secured to a downwardly extending lug carried by the bar and: having a substantially horizontal operating coil and a core adjacent the armature to attract the armature and'lii't the coupler head to releasing position, and an insulated collector shoe connected to-the coil to energize the same. 5'. A toy vehicle having a truck frame adapted to be pivoted to a vehicle body and provided with axles which carry wheels adapted to travel on the rails of toy railroad track, a coupler carrying bar secured to the truck to swing therewith, a coupler including a coupler hook and a gravity operated, movable coupler head adapted to engage a similar hook of another vehicle to couple the vehicles together, an armature carried by the coupler head, an electromagnet fixedly secured to a downwardly extending lug carried by the bar and having a substantially horizontal operating coil and a core adjacent the armature to attract the armature and lift the coupler head to releasing position, an insulating plate secured to the bar and "disposed below the axles, and a collector shoe carried by the plate and connected to the coil to energize the same.

6. A toy vehicle having a truck frame adapted to be pivoted to a vehicle body and provided with axles which carry wheels adapted to travel on the rails of toy railroad track, a coupler carrying bar secured to the truck to swing therewith, a coupler including a coupler hook and a gravity operated, movable coupler head adapted to engage a similar hook of another vehicle to couple the vehicles together, an armature carried by the coupler head, an electromagnet fixedly secured to a downwardly extending lug carried by the bar and having a substantially horizontal operating coil and a core adjacent the armature to attract the armature and lift the coupler headto releasing position, laterally disposed, downwardly extending feet carried by the bar, an insulating plate carried by the feet, and a collector shoe connected to the coil to energize the same.

7 A toy vehicle having a truck frame adapted to be pivoted to a vehicle body and provided with axles which carry Wheels adapted to travel on the rails of toy railroad track, a coupler carrying bar secured to the truck to swing therewith, a coupler including a coupler hook and a gravity operated, movable coupler head adapted to engage a similar hook of another vehicle to couple the vehicles together, an armature carried by the coupler head, an electromagnet fixedly secured to a downwardly bent prong carried by the bar and having an. operating coil and acore adjacent the armature to attract the armature and lift the coupler head to releasing position, an insulating plate disposed below the axles, spacer prising a bar, a coupler carried by the bar and having a fixed coupling hook and a movable coupling head, an armature carried by the coupler head and disposed below the bar, and an 'electromagnet carried by the bar and having a core adjacent the armature.

,9. A toy vehicle having a car body, a truck pivoted to the car body, a bar carried by the truck and extending toward the end of the car body, a truck carried electromagnet having a core disposed below the bar, a coupler pivoted to the bar above, the end of the core and having a lost motion connection with the bar body so that the angular swing of the coupler about its pivot is'greater than the angular swing of the truck relative to the car body, and an armature carried by the coupler and extending close to the coupler pivot so as to, be over the core in all positions of the truck. 7

10. A toy vehicle having a swingable truck having the usual wheels and axles, an electromagnet carried by the truck, a contact shoe connected to the coil of the magnet, a coupler bar carried by the truck to be swung when the truck swings and carrying a coupler hook and a pivoted coupler head adapted to be raised by the coupler hook of another coupler and to lower by gravity, and an armature secured to the coupler head and disposed near the magnet to be attracted thereby to release the said hook.

- HENRY J. FERRI. 

